


War of hearts

by baekkookie



Category: EXO, 엑소 - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Baekhyun (EXO). EXO, Bottom Byun Baekhyun, ChanBaek - Freeform, Chanyeol (EXO), Charachter Death, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Slow Burn, Top Park Chanyeol, royalAU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23700379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekkookie/pseuds/baekkookie
Summary: Princes of two aligning kingdoms, Baekhyun and Chanyeol, grow up as friends- nothing more to it- until one summer that Chanyeol spends in visit to Baekhyun's. Despite the strict rules that bind them, some feelings just can't be ignored.
Relationships: Park Chanyeol/Byun Baekhyun
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [War of hearts- Chanbaek Royalty AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/596650) by fallsbacktogether. 



> Hello everyone! Some of you may have already read my work including this. I'm switching from Wattpad to Ao3 so I will post my ongoing work here from now on! Thank you for reading :)

The steeple bells chimed 7 am, outvoting the birds' chirp that make its way in the room through an open window.

Even though the steeple was on completely opposite side of the palace from his bedroom, a seven year old boy felt like it was just across his window. No matter how many mornings it had woken him up, he still couldn't get used to it.

Baekhyun groaned while stretching his small body in an oversized bed. Sunlight beams found his eyes and he rubbed them, getting up slowly. He knew that the second the bell stops ringing, he would hear a maid knocking on heavy wooden door, inviting the young prince to wake up.

But he would always wake up before that, especially on days when there was something important happening in the palace. His father, the king, often had different diplomats and royals visiting him, who would take their children with them so they could spend time with Baekhyun. Being an only child, he found company mostly in them or the children of the palace staff. That included his best friend Jongdae, whose father was the king's right hand.

Realizing that day was one of those very special days, when the king and queen from the neighboring kingdom were coming for a three day visit with their children, a son who was same age as Baekhyun and his younger sister, Baekhyun leaped up from his bed in a second, running across his room to open the door for the maid. He pulled the heavy door with his small hands, almost falling back when she pushed the door a little bit to peek in.

"Good morning, young master. Have you slept well?" she asked, coming in with clean laundry in her hands.

"I have." Baekhyun answered politely.

He was already old enough to dress on his own, but he knew that telling that to the maid wouldn't help. It was her job to help him, and no matter what he said, she wouldn't let him be. Besides that, Soyoung had worked in the castle since he was born and her only duty was Baekhyun. He grew to like her as an older sister and he refused to call her a babysitter as she often liked to joke. He even asked her to call him by his name rather than young master, but Sooyoung was very serious with her job.

"Are you excited for today? You will meet a prince and princess of the South." she asked as she buttoned his shirt and put his blazer over it. Baekhyun hated formal clothing he had to wear on those occasions. On ordinary days, he wore normal clothes just like any other child.

"Very." Baekhyun said while staring at his toes, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Do you think they will like me?"

"Of course! Who wouldn't like you, young master! I hear that the princess is very pretty." she winked, making Baekhyun blush.

He always felt embarrassed whenever she would tease him with girls. He couldn't imagine having a girlfriend one day and having to kiss her on the mouth. Yuck!

"Handsome." Soyoung said after she was done, placing his royal pin on his blazer.

"Go on, don't be late for breakfast." she tapped his back and Baekhyun nodded with a smile, hopping away.

✩

Baekhyun stood by his father's side on a long red carpet in the bottom of the stairs that led to the main palace doors.

The carriage with their guests had just stopped in front if the gates and the servants were helping the royal family to get out.

Baekhyun and his parents waited to meet them, and the little brunet boy was nervous. He was a very lively and outgoing person, but he was always a little bit anxious whether his new friends would like him or not.

The king and the queen walked slowly towards them, followed by a horde of servants and maids. Baekhyun couldn't see the children because of Queen's huge dress, so he leaned to the left to try to catch at least a glimpse of them.

"Kyung." Baekhyun's father smiled widely, spreading his arms to give the other king a welcoming hug.

"It's been a while, Taewon." the other man returned the hug sincerely, tapping his back.

Baekhyun used that moment to step forward even though he was restrained from moving to curiously peek behind them.

The first peron that got into his sight was little girl holding a maid's hand. Her black, silky hair was falling in waterfalls over her shoulders. She had pretty blushing face, looking at the floor shyly and fumbling with her bracelet. She was wearing pretty pink dress with imitation of rose petals all over it, and it matched her shy and fragile nature perfectly. The princess seemed like a very gentle child, like she had to be watched over as a drop of water.

As observing as he was, Baekhyun could've stared at her for hours to notice everything there was to notice if his attention wasn't dragged off by someone else. Someone at least a head taller than him, with elf ears and black hair silky just like the girl's. The boy was holding his hands on his back, his head high and his posture royal, just like a prince should look, albeit he didn't look arrogant in any way. He curiously observed the new environment around himself, eyes wide and lips glistening with barely noticeable smile every time he would see something that he liked.

Baekhyun felt ashamed of his own unroyal behavior at that moment, something his parents always warned him about. Head up! Don't twiddle around! Look people in the eyes when they speak to you! Stand still when meeting the guests! Bow!

He knew all those rules but his personality was too restless. It was hard for him to stand still even for a minute. He tried to imitate other prince's posture, and that's when the other decided to look exactly his way.

Two suprised pairs of eyes stared at each other. Like two puppies when they first meet and they seem like the most interesting thing in the world to each other. Both princes found the other as thought-provoking as possible, like that very person was to divulge them all the secrets of the universe. They couldn't find a sane reason why they were affected by each other like that, but at the end, they were boys, and boys always have their odd mindsets that are telepathically connected, having nothing inside but wistful adventures and mischief.

It lasted long enough for both to remember everything on the other's face, but it didn't feel awkward. It was time of examination, letting them understand what the other creature that shared the same social status was like. Baekhyun noticed how warm and friendly the stranger's eyes were, something that he didn't noticed on his little sister. His eyes were the main thing that made the siblings so different in Baekhyun's eyes.

The boy's eyes narrowed then his lips tugged in a smile that said you seem like a safe teritory, and on an instant, driven just by his feeling to do it, Baekhyun smiled back at him.

That was the very first encounter of two boys who were destined to become friends, and Baekhyun already then knew that the boy before him was someone he wanted by his side.


	2. uno

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It would be good to give much thought, before_
> 
> _you try to find words for something so lost,_
> 
> _for those long childhood afternoons you knew_
> 
> _that vanished so completely -and why?_
> 
> _\- Childhood, Rainer Maria Rilke_

The young prince's forehead was covered in sweat, his yet gentle hands brushing up and down with all the force he had even when his strenght had drained. Maybe it would've been better if he had taken his shirt before taking such a job in mid June. Or if he had let Yulsoo do it.

But his horse was only his, and not even once since he had got him as a birthday present from his father had he let anyone else brush his shiny hair.

All the palace staff knew that prince Baekhyun was a deterministic person. Not even his father could convince him otherwise once he set his mind on something. That's how it went with Anemos, his black Arab horse. It was the most precious thing Baekhyun owned, the source of his joy, something he would barely wait to come to after long day full of schedules: his piano, forein languages, sword and archery lessons.

The horse neighed contentedly when Baekhyun poured some more water over his back. He brushed the sweat of off his forehead with his forearm, squinting when his eyes got hit by the sun.

Anemos had to look especially flawless that day, because after five years, a friend after whom Baekhyun had longed for every day was finally coming back to visit. He had planned so many things to do with him: horse riding to the lake through the woods, archery, games of chess, long walks through the orchard and conversations about everything they had missed from each other for years.

The memory of those three days they had spent together was still so vivid in Baekhyun's head. After they haf met in front of the castle, bowing down to each other, Baekhyun's father told him to show Chanyeol around before the dinner was served.

It didn't take long for the boy to read through his new made friend. Chanyeol was very clever and curious, and Baekhyun was simply amazed when Chanyeol showed the same amount of interest in horses. Baekhyun showed him the horse his father had promised to him, and soon enough Chanyeol befriended with the animal, caressing it's freshly brushed hair.

"I'll name it Anemos." Baekhyun told him, wondering if Chanyeol would know where that name was coming from.

"He must be really fast if you'll call him Wind." Chanyeol smiled, and Baekhyun was once again happy that he met another prince that didn't find studying acient languages boring, particulary Greek.

"He is fast. One day, he'll take me to the foreign lands. Far, far away." Baekhyun said abstractedly, watching as Chanyeol showered his horse with attention.

To Baekhyun, Chanyeol seemed like a gentle and caring person. The way he behaved gave off a vibe of tranquility, which was unusual for a seven year old. Being raised as a prince, Baekhyun himself was already trained to take his education seriously, so he did. But outside the classroom and even the palace, there was no tree he didn't climb and a stone he didn't peak under. Every maid in the castle knew Baekhyun was a hyperactive child, and none of them complained upon seeing shoe prints on the carpet because despite all of that, Baekhyun radiated with kindness and candor, so there was not a single soul in the kingdom that didn't like him.

Thinking of that encounter, Baekhyun smiled at himself and chuckled a bit, recalling the prince's funny elf ears. He wondered if his ears had gotten even bigger, and how Chanyeol had changed in general. He imagined his dark hair, his goofy smile and asked himself if Chanyeol grew taller than him.

Funny enough, even though Chanyeol's sister, princess Yoora, was a pretty and kind girl, Baekhyun barely thought of her. She was coming too, but that didn't intrigue him much. It was probably because she was a girl, and for a teenage boy, girls could be boring. They don't understand horses, sword fights or archery.

"Master Baekhyun!" he was called from the balcony of Sooyoung's room that faced the stalls. The personnel always got the rooms on the back of the palace, where their view was nothing more than horses and fields. Baekhyun often thought that he wouldn't mind that one bit.

"Prince Chanyeol has arrived with the royal family." she notified him, and in a single secong, Baekhyun dropped everything, running back to the palace as fast as he could.

He rushed to his room to get changed quickly, praying along the way that he didn't smell like stalls.

When he got to the outer entrance hall, his parents were already greeting the royal family. Baekhyun took one step at a time, looking at the sight before him.

Chanyeol was definitely taller than him.

He was skinnier than he remembered, probably because he grew very tall very fast. His black hair was pushed back, revealing his elf ears that made Baekhyun smile as soon as he noticed them. A soft smile rested on his face as he held his arm on his sister's back. Yoora had grown too, but Baekhyun granted her only few seconds and a simple thought of how pretty she looked in her red dress before directing his eyes at his friend again, whom he had waited for eagerly.

Once Chanyeol noticed him standing on the stairs and looking at him, his eyes widened a little, as if he saw a completely different person from what he remembered.

Because of their manners, they couldn't meet each other first but to greet with each other's parents, so they waited patiently while Chanyeol's father questioned Baekhyun about his education. The boy was stealing glances from Chanyeol the whole time, who looked at him secretly, under his eyebrows, trying to memorize all the new things on Baekhyun.

Never before in his life had Baekhyun met someone so alike, someone who shared almost all of his interests, with whom he could've talked for hours without getting drained out of themes. That was why he loved Chanyeol's company so much. It never felt boring or awkward.

Baekhyun was finally out of the king's grasp, and he joined the siblings, bowing to Yoora and kissing her hand like a real gentleman should. She chuckled as Baekhyun winked to her, just because he knew girls appreciated those kinds of things. He could almost feel Chanyeol's stare on him while he did so, but when their grazes met, Chanyeol just smiled.

He opened his hands for Baekhyun, and when the shorter prince gave in his embrance, closing his arms around Chanyeol's waist, it felt right.

They squeezed life out of each other, and Baekhyun's face was pressed against Chanyeol's shoulder, allowing him to feel the other's alluring odor of lavander. Chanyeol's arms had gotten much stonger despire his skinniness, and somehow all of that made Baekhyun laugh once the latter took him by his shoulders and made him face him, so he could see what his eyes shone like.

"Hi, giant." Baekhyun grinned and Chanyeol replied with another grin.

"Up for a ride?"

Baekhyun couldn't help but feel proud of himself while he watched Chanyeol excitedly talk to Anemos, feeding him with apples and letting him lick his hand.

"He's grown!" he exclaimed, laughing as Anemos stuck his head in Chanyeol's lap, searching for more apples.

"And he's gotten faster and stonger. He's a real horse now, aren't you, boy?" Baekhyun tapped the horse's back, earning a happy hiss.

Chanyeol's horse was physically completely different from Baekhyun. Lux was a snowy white horse and on the sun he looked like he was glowing, which was probably why Chanyeol named him by Latin word for light. Two horses looked like night and day next to each other, completing each other.

Two boys rode through the fields of wild flowers, somewhere scattered like yellow gold, somewhere creating a carpet of flowing blood with red petals. The way led them to the lake, which was one of Baekhyun's favorite places in the world. Surrounded by the mountain from all sides except for the one they came from, the lake reflected it, making a beautiful illusion. If you were lucky, sometimes you could see deers coming to the water.

"Wow." Chanyeol whispered as he got of his horse. "It's looks like a fairytale."

"Right?" Baekhyun smiled, letting go of Anemos and nudging him to eat some grass before they head back.

He started taking off his shoes, but he was stopped by Chanyeol's confused look.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking off my shoes." Baekhyun shrugged. "And going for a swim."

He wished he could somehow keep Chanyeol's face at that moment in his memory. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out, and his furrowed eyebrows made him look even sillier.

"Isn't it cold? The water, I mean." he asked Baekhyun, who was in process of taking off his blazer. He was about to swim in his riding pants and a shirt, which was a normal situation for him. He never risked to take off more than that, because you never know who might be watching. He was a prince after all, his reputation was everything.

"Not at all. I do this all the time." Baekhyun smiled. He knew Chanyeol wasn't used to swimming because there was no lake or sea where he lived. 

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, but the latter still hesitated, keeping one hand on his horse as if he was prepared to vanish if necessary.

"I... I mean, do I really have to?" suddenly Chanyeol's voice didn't sound so collected and confident anymore, and that's when it hit Baekhyun.

"Do you know how to swim?" he asked.

Chanyeol lightly shook his head with an apologetic look on his face, but Baekhyun wasn't one of those to give up too easily.

"Come on, I'll teach you." he offered happily.

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Chanyeol shook his head. Baekhyun pulled his arm, but the other prince was frozen in place.

"It's really not that scary, Yeol." Baekhyun assured him. "Come on, shoes off."

Chanyeol sighed, giving in. Baekhyun could see how tense he was when he took his shoes and his jacket off, but he knew his friend would relax once he saw there was nothing to be afraid in the water.

"Should I hold your hand?" Baekhyun teased, but Chanyeol gave him a disgusted look.

"I'm good, thank you." he shuddered when his feet touched the water, almost making him jump out of it immediately.

Baekhyun was already completely inside, wet from head to toe. He loved the feeling of wetness on his hair and drops of water silently travelling down his face. The lake was different from the sea. It was quiet and calm.

Chanyeol was taking his sweet time, grazing his fingers over the water surface and calming himself down at the same time.

"Can I just stay like this?" he sighed, but Baekhyun didn't buy it. He scooted closer and started encouraging the younger.

"No! You're a prince, you have to know these things." Chanyeol expected that he would hear teasing in Baekhyun's voice, but the smaller prince took him gently by forearm, leading him further into the water.

"S-so what do I do?" Chanyeol asked in shaky voice.

"We're only doing one simple lesson today. Floating." Baekhyun smiled, noticing how Chanyeol's shoulders relaxed instantly.

"That doesn't sound that scary." Chanyeol chuckled, letting his nervousness go through it.

Baekhyun let go of his arm and moved a little further away.

He faced Chanyeol who watched him curiously, wondering what he was up to.

"Just follow what I do." he said, and then loosened up his body, letting himself fall on his back. His body sunk a little and his feet peeked out of the water. He closed his eyes peacefully, as if drowning in the moment and the stillness of water he was in.

For few moments Chanyeol could do nothing but watch in awe. He admired how Baekhyun blended with the water, just like he belonged to it. His lips twitched upwards while his closed eyes faced the sky. To Chanyeol, that moment seemed infinite.

"Waiting for an invitation?" Baekhyun called out without opening his eyes or moving a single inch. Chanyeol flinched out of his daydream at Baekhyun's words, shaking his head. He tryed to attempt whatever his friend was doing, so he hesitantly soaked his whole body to get it used to the temperature of water.

"Don't be stiff. Just relax, you can't drown."

Chanyeol finally gave in, scooting over closer to Baekhyun, just in case he would gave to grab onto something.

He followed Baekhyun's instructions and cautiously let his back come in contact with the water, and then he lifted his feet off the ground slowly, spreading his arms to get the balance. He tried to steady his breathing, because as a prince he was taught that right breathing pattern was usually the key of any mastery.

His ears were under the water but he saw earlier that Baekhyun's were too, so he concluded it has to be like that even though it felt wierd at first.

Chanyeol's eyes closed on their own, slowly, while his body finally started to relax. He smiled to himself when his hand accidentally brushed against Baekhyun's.

The sound and feel of water was all that existed, and his friend next to him.

Chanyeol felt happy, and wished that he wasn't a prince of another kingdom.

He wanted to be just a person, free of any duties, free to be just a child.

Free to be just Baekhyun's friend.

During Chanyeol's short stay, they spent every possible minute together, even at nights, Baekhyun would sneak into guest room where Chanyeol slept just to sit on balcony together and talk.

They played long games of chess. Baekhyun proved himself to be better, winning the game easily with a smirk while Chanyeol struggled with a serious expression on his face.

But Chanyeol was better on the battle field, skilfully wielding his sword. He defeated Baekhyun in only two rounds, both sweating and laughing after Baekhyun had dropped his sword in defeat and started cracking up first. They just stood there and laughed together, tears gleaming in corner of their eyes, while Baekhyun's fighting teacher Yukata, whom Baekhyun called Sensei because the man was Japanese, just shook his head at how immature they were.

Baekhyun's sensei observed the other boy's skills carefully. They were lacking to Baekhyun's in technique, because the older had learned from himself, the best sword fighting teacher in their kingdom and wider. But Chanyeol had impressive insticts.

Sensei Yukata was the exact reason Chanyeol came back to Baekhyun's kingdom four years later, and that's when things started to change.


	3. tre

The third visit of Park Chanyeol to Baekhyun's kingdom happened under unexpected circumstances.

Prince Baekhyun was now a 17-year-old, and he was reckless like never before.

There was hardly anything that he took seriously. Of course, he finished all his duties, classes and throne preparations. Still, he knew that his takeover of the throne was nowhere in near future.

He enjoyed his rides to the lake, teasing the maids around the court and hanging out with Jongdae, the son of his father's right hand man, the closest friend and counselor. They were the same age so they got along well. Jongdae wasn't half that busy as Baekhyun was, so he was available whenever Baekhyun wanted his company.

"Faster! Baekhyun, if this was a real battle, you would've been a corpse by now." Sensei Yukata scolded him while he was catching his breath after another sword fight with five knights who were obligated to practice with Baekhyun every Friday. He had to fight them all at once, to experience the real battle.

"I'm trying." Baekhyun muttered, taking his helmet off and pouring a cup of water all over his head and neck.

The summer was unbearably hot and he hated the fact he had sword practices four times a week. He was never good at it and he didn't like it. If he was to ask, all he would do was riding, which he was great at, and reading and playing chess. He knew his father wasn't happy with his choice of activities but he couldn't go against his own nature.

"When that other kid comes, you'll see what real sword fight looks like. And you will practice with him." Yukata said seriously. He was the only member of staff that spoke to Baekhyun informally and treated him like any other student, which Baekhyun loved.

"What other kid?"

"Prince od the South, Chanyeol. He will come here to train with me all summer."

"Seriously?" Baekhyun's eyes widened at the news. He was finally getting to see Chanyeol, and it was even for a whole summer.

"Yes. I'm finally getting a proper student, not a reckless punk like you." sensei smacked his head lightly.

Unbothered by that, Baekhyun grinned.

That was going to be one amazing summer.

"It's so nice to see you again, Chanyeol!" Baekhyun could hear his mother's sweet voice from the grand stairs of the palace.

This guy never had the right timing, he thought to himself, running after he had a quick bath and put on first thing he could see. As usual, the news of Chanyeol's arrival came to him while he was in the stable, bathing his horse.

Out of breath, he reached the lobby, where his mother's giant dress blocked the way of seeing the person in front of her. Not like that bothered him to steal his attention.

"Chanyeol!" he called, and a particular head peeked behind the queen.

A huge grin on Chanyeol's face was all Baekhyun could see at first. As he stepped at the front, dark hair and broad shoulders got into picture.

Prince Chanyeol was nothing like the tall, lanky kid Baekhyun remembered.

Now he was not only tall, but muscular as well. He still had a royal posture that Baekhyun was so fascinated with.

With all that counted, he was attractive. Realising his own thoughts Baekhyun gulped as he walked in the taller's embrance.

"Welcome back, idiot." he welcomed with his face in Chanyeol's chest, which sent off vibrations of Chanyeol's laugh at those words.

"I'm glad to be here again. And you've changed." he said as he moved Baekhyun away, holding his shoulders, to look at him from close.

Baekhyun knew he had the looks, too. He could hear the maids around the palace and he knew very well his effect on them, so he wasted his free time flirting with them. Few times he hooked up with the cook's daughter... And few others who were daughters of the royal staff. Baekhyun was know as a heartthrob, because he never developed feelings for any girl. 

But Chanyeol, he was different. Baekhyun could see it. Handsome, yet unaware of that. He was the kind to follow the rules and not interfere with anything besides his royal duties. One that would probably be totally okay with an arranged marriage, which was a destiny of every royal.

"I hope you're ready to get crushed at chess again." Baekhyun grinned as they walked towards what was about to be Chanyeol's room for the time being.

The other looked down at him, smirking.

"Oh, I don't think so."

After few days things got into a routine. Chanyeol's practices took him four hours every morning. Baekhyun would sometimes join him in the afternoon, which would of course end up in the latter choking with dust and with Chanyeol's sword pressed lightly sideways against his throath, the taller chuckling at his helplessness.

During one of Chanyeol's morning practices, Baekhyun, surprisingly, had nothing on his schedule. He got up at six, which was a huge difference from getting up at five of four thirty, as he usually did.

The morning was still chilly even after he had his breakfast, but that didn't stop him from taking Anemos out of the stall and riding to the lake.

That morning he didn't feel like riding too fast. He treasured the unusual tranquility around him. A frail wind addled the leaves and the chirp of birds could be heard along with the sound of Anemos' hooves thumping against the ground.

Baekhyun knew those roads by heart. Ever since he was a child, he explored around, and if there was a single thing different than the day it was before, he would notice.

That's why he was suprised to see a wooden trading wain, decorated with pennants and colorful ribbons standing by the road.

Wains like that one were nothing unusual, since traders traveled across the kingdom all the time. What was unusual was that place for one to pull over. Not many people used that road.

Baekhyun calmed Anemos and jumped off, cautiously approaching the small window on the front.

He was welcomed by usual set of various items, shiny lamps and sumptuous necklaces. Little bells in the corner rocked in the wind, giving Baekhyun chills. Two things that he never liked were those bells that people hang around their houses and music boxes. He despised their sound.

"Are you interested in something, young master?" Baekhyun calmly raised his gaze up when a voice came from inside. His eyes met a face of an old man peeking from inside, grey hair and worn out clothes.

Before Baekhyun could answer the old man got out through the back door. Baekhyun was suprised to see that he was so hunched that the stick that propped his entire weight could hardly be higher than fifty centimeters.

"All that treasure comes from all over the world." he said when he scooted closer, but Baekhyun still looked at him. Realising he was acting rude, he looked away, scanning the items once again.

"I'll just take a look." Baekhyun smiled, redirecting his attention once again to the shiny objects.

"Feel free, young master... I won't be doing this anymore, so this might as well be your last chance to do so." the man leaned against the wain to support himself. Baekhyun wondered how was he even able to stand on his own.

"I found it unusual that you stopped here. Nobody is using this road." Baekhyun commented, glancing at him.

The old man smiled.

"As I said, I won't be doing this anymore. I didn't want people to stop by, but you are an exception, my Highness."

Baekhyun smiled politely at his words.  
It was no wonder for the prince that he recognized him. The man seemed to know all the secrets of the world.

"Where did you find this?" Baekhyun asked as he picked up a ring. "It's Persian, isn't it?" He asked, even though he was sure it was. The ring was made of white gold with floral arabesque engraved. The most stunning part, though, was a bright sapphire stone in the middle.

"I have traveled a lot to the West in my younger days, my master. I cannot recall what I got from where."

Baekhyun's lips tugged in a smile. He knew the old man was lying. He could tell by the way he spoke he knew many things, and he probably knew everything there was to know about that ring. But it didn't bother Baekhyun.

"How much?"

"It's nothing for you, Your Highness. Just one prayer to the gods for this old man would be more than enough." he smiled and bowed barely.

Baekhyun put the ring on the middle finger of his right arm, because the ring finger was occupied by the royal family ring, with large aquamarine stone as the symbol of their kingdom.

"Thank you." he bowed, wondering the reason why the man was giving away something so precious for free, even if he was a prince. Especially since he was a prince, who could afford dozen of those.

Before climbing up on his horse and riding away, Baekhyun tossed a small bag on the desk, with 10000 won inside.

"Baekhyun-ah, where have you been? I haven't seen you whole morning." Chanyeol's eyebrows furrowed as Baekhyun approached him in the library.

Baekhyun took a seat at a massive wooden table, from where his eyes met huge palace yard through the balcony window. The sun hurt his eyes, so he turned away towards Chanyeol.

"I was out. Riding."

"As usual." Chanyeol huffed.

"What are you reading?" Baekhyun curiously leaned forward.

"Oh, this." Chanyeol closed the book to show Baekhyun the cover.

"The mastery of martial arts." Baekhyun read out loud. "Why is it written in Japanese, though?"

"I think Sensei just wants me to improve that, too." Chanyeol laughed.

"Yeah, maybe." the shorter boy smiled.

Baekhyun flipped the pages of the book, whose illustrations showed old japanese traditions and uncountable kanji simbols everywhere.

"Oh, where did you get that?" Chanyeol's eyes widened and he took Baekhyun's hand before the other could react, dropping the book with a loud thud.

"It's beautiful!" Chanyeol continued admiring, but Baekhyun was still in a slight shock from the latter holding his hand with both of his, his young but calloused fingers pressed against his skin.

"I- Uh, I got it from some trader this morning." Baekhyun mumbled and quickly moved his hands on his lap when Chanyeol let them go.

"Persian, is it?"

"Yeah."

Not sure what to say next, Baekhyun coughed silently, picking up the book again and looking at the pictures.

Chanyeol seemed to be in deep thought for few moments. Baekhyun, on the other hand, quickly got over the sudden shock he went through.

"Oi, Yeol-ah." he called as if he had remembered something. He put the book down and stood up, smirking down at his friend.

"What?" Chanyeol snapped out of his thoughts, suprised as he saw a sly smirk on the other's face.

"Wanna do something fun?"


End file.
